Background:
There are a variety of references that are available for holding various animals, and closure means that are used in conjunction therewith, for facilitating the deposition of particularly fish placed into a live well or insulated ice chest, or the like.
For example some use trap doors: The patent to Sinclair, U.S. Pat. No. 752,600, discloses what appears to be a standard basket type of fish enclosure. It incorporates a spring loaded cover through which a fish may be deposited for entrance into the basket. The spring-loaded cover, through which the fish may be deposited, must have force exerted upon it to achieve its opening, as through the weight of the fish. The patent to Marble, U.S. Pat. No. 1,388,187, shows another type of creel or trout basket, and once again, it includes a pair of doors through which fish may be deposited into the shown basket. The opening for the fish uses a snap-catch for positive closure with an inwardly swinging automatically closing door or cover utilizing a spring which has a push button extending through a hole in the body. One must press the button to allow reception of a fish into the container. The patent to Lane, U.S. Pat. No. 1,489,255, shows another style of fishing creel. This particular device is quite similar to what has been shown in the earlier described prior art patents herein, and includes a spring-biased door that closes. The patent to Collins, U.S. Pat. No. 1,719,591, shows a form of fish box, which includes once again, a door using a spring for providing closure for its opening, and through which fish may be inserted after being caught. The patent to Wells, U.S. Pat. No. 2,560,054, shows a boat creel, and what appears to be a sleeve type of opening through its top closure, which in actual practice, is nothing more than another closure that is spring biased into a closed position, by means of a hinge, for closing off the shallow opening of the disclosed creel. The patent to Dick, U.S. Pat. No. 2,566,719, describes another variation upon a fish basket. But, once again, in this particular instance, its cover plate is simply spring hinged into position for enclosure of its opening. Obviously, as with all of the baskets or creels as previously described herein, the pressure of the fish or its weight applied to the cover will open it to attain entrance of the fish therein, for its deposit into the described baskets. The patent to Chiu, U.S. Pat. No. 3,559,329, shows a form of a device identified as a bag, formed of straw-like material, and has a neck portion integrally formed in it, through which fish, as noted, are inserted. The closure for the neck portion is attained through the expandable and resilient strips, which open as the fish is deposited therein, but which snap back into closure, as shown. The patent to Brower, U.S. Pat. No. 4,008,540, teaches another form of insulated fishing creel. Its door is spring biased, by means of a torsion spring.
In other examples there are tapered openings or chutes: The patent to Dunham, U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,786, discloses a fish receiving hopper. It shows a modified cooler, described as a conventional ice chest, and wherein its hopper means is formed through the lid portion, in order to provide a form of chute through which fish may be slid against its door during their deposition within the disclosed cooler. The patent to Robinson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,886, teaches an access structure, fabricated of a length of cylinder, having a flange provided at its bottom end, and an insulated hinge door connected therewith, is provided for sliding insertion through an aperture located within the lid or cover of any compartment, such as an insulated box, other storage structure, or an ice chest; and a counterbalance spring holds the door to the bottom of the cylinder normally in a closed condition, but that under the weight of any fish or other aquatic animal deposited thereon, will open to allow deposition of such into the compartment for temporary storage.
In other examples there are live well liners: The patent to Carlson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,642,934, shows a transportable liner for use in a live well, for transporting the catch, such as fish from the live well. The liner is substantially made of a flexible, porous material forming a plurality of adjoining sides and bottom which forms an open topped porous enclosure therebetween. The patent to Nelson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,526, teaches a live well for fish, bait well, and ice chest attachment for a boat that has an elongated container having a bait container formed therein and having a separate insulated ice chest formed therein. There is a basket formed to fit exactly in one portion of the well.
It is imperative to keep caught fish alive or stored below 40 degree F. in order to prevent food contamination/poisoning because a fish's infectious bacterial agents replicate and produce toxins at 40 degree F. and above, while all infectious bacterial agents experience marked reduction in their ability to replicate and produce such toxins below 40 degree F. A prudent fisherman on a day's fishing expedition or outing stores his caught fish in an ice cooler containing ice. The time it takes to melt the ice with the consequent water temperature in the cooler reaching 40 degree F. will depend upon how long the cooler remains open while the fisherman unhooks his caught fish and deposits it in the cooler, and the number of times this cycle must be repeated with respect to subsequently caught fish.
Cold air is lost from the cooler and the melting of ice with its consequent change of state to water and the warming of such water is progressively accelerated on each and every occasion that the cooler is opened to deposit a fish in the cooler. Contributing factors are the type and size of the fish, and the time it takes the fisherman to remove an imbedded hook from a squirming and thrashing fish, and whether the fisherman maintains physical control over the fish. Another contributing and delaying time factor that will necessitate keeping the cooler open is that fish previously deposited in the cooler may wiggle or jump out and will have to be retrieved and redeposited in the cooler. As the cooler becomes filled with more fish, the easier it will be for previously deposited fish to jump out when the cooler is opened. An additional contributing factor will be the travel time required in traveling to and returning home from his fishing trip.
After fishing when it is time to clean the fish, it can be cold and messy to reach in to lift the fish from the cooler. There is a need for a removable basket liner to lift the fish out of the cooler leaving the water and ice behind. There are also needs for a cooler lid with a trap door that allows fish to be inserted conveniently into the cooler with minimal loss of cool air; and a collapsible large funnel shaped fish receiver to direct the fish into the trap door in the lid. It would be desirable to have a fish cooler, ice chest, or related type of thermally insulated case which provides means for ease of deposition of fish therein; and alleviates the need of having to continuously open the lid of the chest, or live well, with the accompanying inconvenience associated therewith. In addition, it would be desirable for the fish to be easily removed from the ice/ice water without having to handle a single fish.